


Don't give it a hand, offer a soul

by cyanlana



Category: Akatsuki no Yona | Yona of the Dawn
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, I'm adding characters later, Mutual Pining, Pining, archive warning may also change, street fighting au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-04
Updated: 2019-09-09
Packaged: 2020-10-06 22:13:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,036
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20514329
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cyanlana/pseuds/cyanlana
Summary: Yona's determined to be the one who protects him, for once.or;Hak finds himself involved with street fighting, Yona worries.





	1. I.

**Author's Note:**

> Born from a need to see more of what I want in the world.
> 
> Title from "it will come back" by hozier. a very fitting song for these two.

Yona knows what her backyard looks like. Outside the glass-sliding doors is a stone path that leads to the gardens, there's a big stone fountain, and in the very back is a wall of shrubbery that’s just thick enough to block anything else from being seen. Before her mom passed away, she’d planted a few rose bushes.

Point is, she knows her way around there, and even if it has occasionally changed over the years, or with the seasons, it stays the same. She knows that from the kitchen table, if you sit in the third chair to the left, you can see most of the garden. She _ knows _ that she’s been staring desolately out there for the past half hour, equally as disappointed as the past 4 nights to see that it remains empty. She knows she’s acting strange.

“Yona, are you really going to waste your food like that?” Her father’s voice breaks up the silence of the dinner table, one that she had been happy to continue wallowing in.

Keeping her eyes trained on the walkway in front of her, she stabs a random vegetable on her plate, brings it to her mouth, and chews. It’s beyond cold at this point, and she wonders if it’s enough to placate her dad.

He tsk’s loudly, and distantly hears Soo-won and him pick up a conversation. Normally, she’d be delighted, ecstatic even, for the three of them to be able to sit down and eat like this, especially since it continues to be a struggle for her father to warm up to Soo-won, at all. But, this was not a normal evening for her, even if in the past few months, a pattern had begun to form. A pattern that left her stomach in knots, and a worry that left her dizzy and unable to focus. 

Nervously, she slides her cell phone out from under her thigh, checks to see if there are any new messages. Unsurprisingly, nothing. Surely she’d know the second she got a new text message, since she not only has a special message alert set, but had it turned up to full volume. Sighing, loudly, she taps her fingers along the hard polished wood of the dinner table, checks the clock on the wall, checks her phone, stares out at the garden. If Hak was trying to send her to an early grave, he was succeeding. She thinks her hair might be thinning.

A minute or so passes, and her father sighs, asking if she’d like to be excused from the table. She doesn't bother answering, standing up and bringing her plate to the sink. She spins back around and marches to the table, planting a kiss on Soo-won's cheek. He smiles at her, although somewhat bewildered and confused, he doesn't ask her what's wrong again. 

He says his goodbyes not long after, she thinks, but doesn't quite remember. That was two hours ago, and she’s been sitting out on the grass, very pointedly toward the tall wooden fence. Hak might show up soon… but it was getting late, and she’d be lying if she said she wasn't tired. She could close her eyes, for just a second. 

Wrapping the blanket tighter around herself, she leans against the tree behind her; just a second.

…

When she opens her eyes, she’s not lying against any tree. She lying in bed, her bed, and somehow managed to find her way under the covers. It takes her a second to even remember that she’d technically fallen asleep outside, and that she’d been waiting for Hak. Listening to the quiet hum of her ceiling fan, she stares at her nightstand and wall, the one facing away from her window. 

It’s still dark outside by the low lighting of her room, and she closes her eyes for a moment, but it does nothing to stop the tears that go rushing to her eyes. Her dad brought her in from outside once again, and Hak is nowhere to be found. A sob breaks out from her throat when she can no longer hold it in, and it's all she can do before breaking into a loud gasp for air, the sudden overwhelming need for Hak to return home bearing down on her.

However, her pity party is cut short soon enough, almost jumping out of her skin when someone comes rushing to her side a second later. She turns to face the intruder, still half asleep and confused. Tears slipping from her eyes, head muddled from her sleep, she remains frozen under their concerned gaze. She slumps against her pillow, convinced the vision was going to vanish any moment.

“I’m dreaming.” She mumbles, unsure whether or not she liked this.

“Princess, you’re okay, it was just a dream.” His voice is so soft, barely above a whisper.

Regardless of how gentle is sounded, it causes her eyes to widen, another round of tears spilling down her face. She shakes her head furiously, closing her eyes. “Don’t speak to me, it only makes it worse.”

If she was going to dream with Hak, she’d rather he not speak. His voice was so exact too, it hurt her to even listen to. He says nothing, and a moment later she feels his hand dropping to her forearm, tentatively his touch gliding down to her closed fist. His skin was so warm, so… real.

Her eyes open, and she tries to stop herself from crying any more. She searches his face, which seems to be looking back in utmost concern. 

“Hak.” She gasps, now more awake, she realizes he could very much be real.

“Hak is it really you?” Her voice sounds wrecked, the force of keeping herself from crying causing her throat to contract painfully.

“Uh, I think so… What has you so-” He begins to ask, a mess of emotion on his face. He quiets the second her hand reaches out to touch his face, and he seems to lean into the touch, transfixed on the girl in front of him.

The moment only lasts a few seconds, before the absolute relief on Yona’s face turns back to grief, and most of all, anger.

She snatches her hand away, and the loss of the cool touch has Hak pushing his way out of her space, back to the floor. Yona wastes little time in sitting up in her bed, turning to fully face him. She doesn't even know where to begin. Should she start with the million questions she has? Or better yet, start her 45 minute rage rant. She opens her mouth, an indignant finger in the air, but nothing comes out. She closes her mouth, opens it again. She might need to cry some more.

He seems to take pity on whatever is happening, and sighs. At least he had the decency to look ashamed. “I brought you in, from outside. If you’re wondering how you got back in here. It’s not safe to be falling asleep just anywhere, you know.” He tries to joke, but it falls flat, Yona only staring at him in silent fury.

“What were you doing out there any-”

“Hak, where the _ hell _ have you been?” They speak at the same time, and upon hearing the seriousness in her voice, Hak goes quiet. She moves, turning the nightstand light on, waiting for him to speak up.

Once a month, for the past 5 months, Hak goes missing. He’s gone without a word, and the only thing that has kept Yona together is him telling her when he’s disappearing, and _ promising _her that he’ll be back. Obviously, he always returns, sometimes after 2 days, sometimes up to 5. But he always comes back bruised. 

Bruised, cut up, bloody, _ hurt _. And it absolutely kills Yona to have to wait while he’s off doing something that would probably send her to the emergency room if she found out. He never tells her where he is, or what he’s doing. But it hardly matters, whatever it is, isn't safe. The only reason why she hasn't told anyone was because she knows it's not going to stop him, if anything, it’ll cause him to disappear altogether, and that's the last thing she needs. Hak was nothing if not stubborn, and determined to do what he wanted.

That doesn't mean she had to be happy about it.

This month, however, it took Hak about 2 _ weeks _ before gallivanting back home, and if it weren't for the single phone call she got from him a week ago, she would have called the police. He sounded fine at the time, and after a 5 minute conversation, he’d hung up. Hadn’t even read the texts she’d sent. Crying had not occurred to her until tonight, the very moment he decided to return, how convenient.

Hak remains silent, and she already knows he’s not going to spill. It only adds fuel to the fire that was currently growing behind her eyes. She takes the opportunity to do a once over of his face, everything else being covered up by his outfit, and finds, to her relief, that there was nothing to see. No black eyes, no broken nose, there wasn't a cut on him. She couldn't even find a new scar.

Catching Yona giving him a once-over Hak rolls his eyes, bringing his hands up in a placating gesture. “Nothin’ to see here.”

Yona slumps back down once again, worrying her lip between her teeth. Why did he have to make her worry so much? The past 2 weeks had been the closest she’d ever felt to a complete mental breakdown.

She rushes out of the covers, surprising Hak who had been leaning against her mattress. As embarrassing as it was to admit, she loved Hak, in the way you love someone you’ve known your entire life. There was absolutely nothing she wouldn't do, to see him safe. Stretching up to her tip-toes, she wraps her arms around his middle, and rests her head against his chest. She listens to the steady thrum of his heart, which strangely, seems to be picking up speed.

He doesn't move though, unnaturally still, and before she can tease him about suddenly getting shy, he gently pushes her back by the shoulders.

Okay, ouch. She knows Hak isn’t the overly sentimental--

The look on his face stops her train of thought; he’s in pain, like literally in physical pain. Before she can think otherwise, she grabs the bottom of his shirt and sweatshirt and yanks them up, sees the faded yellow and bright purple. An old injury, but obviously painful. He grips her wrist, yanking her away, on the brink of too roughly. Too little too late, she’d seen enough.

“Stop! You’re hurt, Hak, you-”

He pushes his clothes back down, careful not to press too roughly, and Yona cringes thinking about how painful it must be for him to react that way. “Forget you saw anything.”

“Forget? Do you hear yourself you self-sabotaging idiot! We’re going to the-”

He bends down slightly, covering Yonas mouth with his hand. He’s trying for his self assured smirk, but it’s not holding up.

“Unless you want your father knowing I’m in your room at 1 A.M. I suggest you shut up.” He says, loosening the grip on her face when she rolls her eyes, eventually moving back.

“I have some bruised ribs.” He says. Yona begins to breathe deeply, trying to calm down.

She would be screaming right now, if she didn't know better-- maybe she will, actually.

“It should only take another week to heal, max. I went to a doctor I promise, Yona, just calm down.” When she hears him use her name, her actual name, she knows he isn't lying. It hardly does anything in making her feel better, though.

“Ooh Hak. What am I going to do with you?” She whisper-yells, pacing up and down her bedroom floor.

“We both know it’s my job to take care of _ you _ Princess.”

Yona sends a bone chilling glare, still not in the mood for jokes. It was obvious to her why he hadn’t showed his face around here for so long. He needed time to heal if he was going to survive her wrath. She stops her pacing, looking at him with nothing but irritation.

“Why’d you go through all the trouble of waiting to ‘get better’ if you were going to get caught anyway. I swear you have not one brain cell.”

Hak sends a mocking smile her way, shrugging, “Not my fault you decided to get all emotional and _ hug me _, you never do that.”

“Because you usually don’t go missing for half a month! Selfish idiot!” She means to sound threatening, but halfway through finds herself choking back tears, once again, and turns away.

“I- I’m sorry. I really am, I don’t like leaving you upset. Don’t cry.” He starts, now deadly serious.

Yona frowns, wiping her tears with the back of her hand, and scoffs, “It doesn’t seem that way.”

She tenses when she feels him approaching her, a million conflicting emotions in her head. On one hand, she wishes she could tell him off, just like she’d been imagining for the past week and a half, and on the other, she wants nothing more than to hug him, and have him tell her he really was okay. She couldn't even do _ that _ though, not without hurting him.

“How would you feel Hak? If I disappeared and got hurt, all the time?” Now only a foot away from each other, she stares him down, hoping he’d see how this left her feeling. 

“I would never let you do that.” He whispers, very sure of himself.

“You're such a hypocrite.” She spits venomously, turning back around and crossing her arms. He was obviously fine with leaving _ her _ emotionally distressed.

“I know.”

She doesn't respond to that, staring out her window at the darkened sky. She could see the front yard from here, all the way to the front gates; her dad was strict about security, for whatever reason.

“I missed you.” Declares Hak, suddenly and without prompt. Yona feels stupid for the emotional 180 she feels at it. A part of her was going to be angry at him for a while though, maybe forever.

“That's why I came back with bruises all over my ribs.” He continues, and she can feel him getting closer once again.

Now hugging her, albeit gently and from the back, neither of them can see each other. She moves her head backward, staring at him from an awkward upside down angle. “How’d you get me up here?”

He could barely handle a hug.

He grimaces, and she shakes her head, again disappointed in his terrific decision making. “You carried me up here with bruised ribs?” He shrugs, looking to the side. She hums gently in disapproval. The adrenaline from all of these emotional ups and downs had left her with a headache and heavy eyelids though, and she knows Hak needed to rest.

“We are definitely talking about all of this, in further detail, tomorrow. But I’m beyond tired and I know you are too.” Stepping out of reach, she turns the light back off, and climbs back into bed, smoothing over her duvet. There's a heavy tension in the air, one that takes Hak a second to pick up on. She was not-so-subtly looking around the room, waiting for him to join her.

“Ahh, I’m- I can’t lay with--”

“Please Hak. You owe me.”

“What about your dad-”

“He has to work early tomorrow, he doesn't care anyway.” It’s not like they used to have sleepovers every weekend and spend every day together. Stupid Hak.

Heaving a sigh, he hesitates another minute, before giving in. Slipping his sneakers off, he steps onto the bed, awkwardly, avoiding even looking at Yona. She grabs him by the arm, gently tugging him next to her. She allows him to position himself as he pleases, and lays down next. Having him here, actually next to her was such a relief she could hardly stand it. She’s not sure if she was ever going to let him out of her sight again; it could be her, Soo-won, and him, once again the childhood trio.

“You’re so dumb.” She says, because she can.

“I know.” Replies Hak, who could be smiling.

They lie in silence another couple minutes, and without thinking twice about it, Yona speaks again, much more seriously.

“Don’t do that to me again. Please.” It’s impossibly quiet, painful to say aloud.

“Okay.” He replies, just as quietly.

She grabs onto his arm, resting her face onto his shoulder, careful to avoid his ribcage or stomach. They fall asleep soon after.

\---

The next time Yona wakes up, her room is bathed in sunlight. Not early morning light, but real daylight. Its shocking, mostly because she hadn't been able to sleep well at all for the past couple of weeks, and for once, she feels incredibly well rested. 

She tries for the blanket pooling around her waist, only to be met with a good bit of resistance, and when she turns for it, she finds a sleeping Hak in her bed.

Memories from the night before come rushing back to her, and she has to stop herself from yelling in relief, even if she was angry. Hak had obviously been exhausted, as she thought he was, and from what she could tell, he was still deeply asleep. Checking the time, she sees its well into the afternoon, which actually makes her worry; Hak had always been a morning person.

She leans over his sleeping form, curiously tilting her head this-way, and that. His expression is blank, peaceful, but she can see the results of exhaustion on his face, the skin under his eyes was deeply bruised with it. His dark hair, thoroughly mused from tossing around in his sleep. Seeing him like this, leaves her with a strange feeling, but she tosses it up to not having seen him for so long. 

Getting up, she discards the thought, knowing his sleeping in would give her time to come up with a plan, something to put an end to this reckless behavior of his.

Asking him to stop, had been the first thing she did, when this had all started, and as much as she wishes that he’d listen this time, it wasn't realistic. She could try asking him to let her tag along, maybe seeing what was going on first hand would give her an idea on how to stop it, but that was no more realistic. If he wouldn't even tell her what he was up to, he certainly wouldn’t take her to investigate.

That left her with few options, but the important part was that she had any. Obviously, the only route she had left, without involving anyone else, was to manipulate her way into getting what she wanted. She’d need someone else to take her, maybe a friend of Hak’s… Thinking about it, his friends always did seem a little rough around the edges.

They already knew her though, they’d never believe that she was a part of whatever was going on. She needed someone new, someone she could lie to. Someone like--

“Wow Princess, for me?”

Yona startles, turning to face Hak, who’d managed to sneak up on her in the middle of her brainstorming. She smiles innocently, pushing the plate of food she had set aside for him.

Hak takes the plate, content, and they sit down at the breakfast bar. She can’t help but stare, having been away for so long, at least by their standards, it was surreal having him sitting there once again, when just yesterday she’d been wondering if he’d ever come back. 

He stops chewing, turning his gaze towards her, “Weirdo. Staring at me like that.”

Yona huffs, facing away, “Don’t get a big head.”

“Too late.”

“You’re the one sleeping until the middle of the afternoon.” She counters, already rearing up for their usually bickering, but to her surprise, he seems embarrassed when she mentions it. Almost sheepish, she’s not sure if it was possible.

“Guess your bed is comfortable or something. Thanks, for letting me stay over.” He mumbles, staring down at his plate.

_ This _ is what embarrasses him? Why did he make such a big deal out of sharing a bed with her? Like they’d never done it or something, but things were different, she guesses, with them being much older. She only gives a confused ‘you're welcome?’, her head entirely too filled up with thoughts.

She forces him to stay there with her, for a while. His ribs were still bruised and she wasn't about to let him go and hurt himself anymore. Somehow he doesn't argue with her, and the rest of the day consists of them orbiting each other, or so it seems that way. He’s always in the corner of her eye, or she in his. It’s nice, peaceful, almost manages to keep her mind off the fact that she has probably a month to execute a plan to stop what was going on. For once she was going to be the one to protect him.

They don’t talk about what they desperately needed to, but for the day, everything was as it had been.


	2. II.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “When you're not there. I find myself singing the blues.”
> 
> Not in that way, by Sam Smith, another great song for them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings for underage drinking, some talk about violence. And a lot of pining.
> 
> Also i guess its important to note that they’re all in college, but i dont really address it bc its not technically important so,,, its just kinda implied. Ok ty.

The bar is packed, full of people and music, and she can hardly hear herself think over all the commotion. It certainly wasn’t her type of scene, and the longer she sat there, the more reasons she gathered as to why. Yona had only been there for fifteen minutes, but she wasn’t sure she’d be able to handle another if her guest didn’t arrive soon.

Gripping at her glass nervously, she lets the coldness of it ground her, making sure to remind herself why she was here. _ For Hak _ . She doesn't dwell on how he’d react if he knew she was here; really, if anyone knew she was here.

Surprisingly (and to her relief) they hadn't asked for ID, or anything of the sort, which… maybe wasn't that surprising after all, considering her surroundings. The air was humid, every surface was grimy, and while everyone seemed to be keeping it together, it wouldn't surprise her if a fight broke out.

“Hello, angel.” Yona hears someone say, entirely out of view.

Immediately, the thought of having to play it cool in the face of some stranger hitting-her-up left a sour taste in her mouth. Their voice is baritone and smooth, almost pleasant if she were to hear it under different circumstances. The moment she feels a hand non-so-subtly land on her shoulder, however, is the moment she finally reacts. Too slowly though, because in the second it takes her to twist around in the uncomfortably wobbly bar stool, the stranger is gone.

She frowns in confusion, turning back towards her table, and is met with a new face. He’s fast.

Immediately, she forces her posture into a more confident one, pulls at her clothing in a way that she hopes allows her to fit in. Clothing she had to go shopping for, because it was nothing short of-- revealing, for lack of better wording.

The man across from her smiles charmingly, and weirdly enough it’s not off-putting, he seems like the type to hang out here, but she wasn’t picking up on any bad energy. Not yet anyway.

“What’s a pretty little thing like you doing in a place like this?” he coos, leaning against his chair impractically. Yona keeps her mouth shut, wondering if he was actually hitting on her, or if he could tell she wasn’t the type.

Shrugging, she tilts her glass back and forth, trying to appear as casual as possible. “You must spend a lot of time here if you’re sure I’ve never stopped by before.”

His smile drops fractionally, she can’t tell if he likes her answer or not, and she was beginning to sweat; if this isn't who she was supposed to be meeting, when was he going to get here? Only one person knew where she was, and she was starting to regret that being the case.

Wasting no time, he gestures widely, smirk still in place, “You’re right. And I still haven’t introduced myself. I’m Jae-ha, who might you be?”

Yona practically melts in relief, it was him after all, and she really needed this to go right. “I’m Yona. I heard you’d be helpful for this kind of thing.”

Jae-ha’s smirk drops fully this time, before standing abruptly. Yona feels the panic rise in her chest, if he leaves now, she’ll never get another shot at finding out what was going on, it’d be over, surly, “Wait-- ah…”

Jae-ha is already gone, and searching around for him leaves her looking like a lost child in a grocery-store, she’s sure. Well, that went fantastically, and she can’t even figure out what she said wrong. Wallowing, she swallows the lump in her throat, she was  _ not _ going to cry in a bar.

The loud thumb of glass against wood has her jumping in her seat, and to her absolute relief it seems as though Jae-ha has returned, and with drinks. She eyes the two shot glasses. He picks his up, and in a single throw, takes it down. The drink is a dark red, bordering on brown, and she had no intention of drinking hers. She never drank, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to start now.

“My apologies for not offering you a drink sooner. I hadn’t realized you were the one I was meeting.” he says.

Yona smiles lightly at him, “I’ll pass.” She says, making up her mind, and pushes the glass away.

Jae-ha raises an eyebrow, “You don’t even know what it is.”

Yona purses her lips, looking at the glass warily; he continues, “It’s mostly tomato juice and hot sauce.”

Still refusing, he sighs, moving on, “Okay, have it your way. What is it that you needed help with again?”

Yona perks up, meeting his unimpressed stare, “I need you to take me to a street fight.”

There's a moment of tense silence, and Yona takes the pause to fully look at him. He was handsome, and despite his rough exterior, had a classiness. The moment breaks when he burst out into laughter, clutching at the table.

“A street fight, she says! People fight outside the back door to this joint every fifteen minutes, if you wanna go stand and wait.” Dramatically wiping the (nonexistent) tears from his eyes, Yona watches and scowls. Handsome, but annoyingly smug.

“Not just any street fight. I need to see Hak, specifically.” She continues, undeterred.

“Riiight. Not gonna happen.” He replies, shaking his head.

“If you won’t help me, I’ll figure it out myself.” If he really wasn’t going to help her, she’d figure something else out. Probably.

“You’re not going to get very far, Princess.” Jae-ha says, still irritatingly smug. It makes Yona freeze up in confusion, wondering for a moment if Hak had somehow tracked her down and found her in this grungy bar.

She slumps back into the stool, “What did you just call me?”

He rolls his eyes, taking a sip from a bottle that had somehow appeared in his hand. “Yona, was it? Next time you try sneaking around behind your boyfriends back, don’t use your real name.”

He seemed to know what he was talking about, but it wasn’t making much sense. Soo-won was  _ helping _ her, he’d been the one to tip her in this guy’s direction, what did he mean by…?

“Hak is  _ not _ my boyfriend. I have a boyfriend, and it certainly isn't him.” She crosses her arms, poutily looking past him.

He raises his brows, considering this. “That’s rough.” He mutters, but doesn't seem to be speaking to her, or anyone else for that matter. She waits for him to continue.

“I doubt if you’d used a different name it would have made much of a difference anyway. Hak doesn’t want you anywhere near that, and for good reason. I could tell you were uncomfortable being  _ here _ , from a room away. Maybe you should heed his warning.”

Of course, even when Hak or Soo-won were nowhere to be seen, she was getting treated like a child, incapable of making her own decisions. Slamming her hands onto the table, she leans forward; Jae-ha doesn't flinch.

“What would it take for you to consider talking to me? Whatever Hak is telling you is probably his stupid broody bullshit. He’s not the boss of me.” Normally she wouldn’t talk like that, but well, drastic times and whatnot. He doesn’t relent, raising his shoulders. 

She tries for a different approach, “He isn't the boss of you either. I _ just  _ want to talk.”

Jae-ha pauses, considering this, before moving his gaze downward…

Without a moment's hesitation, Yona grabs the glass, a bit of red liquid slouches outward. “To making my own damn decisions.” She downs it in one go, and after the intense spiciness wares off, she notes that it had tasted pretty good.

Jae-ha laughs, raising his bottle. “Cheers.”

…

The noise was beginning to dwindle down, and after he stopped ruthlessly poking holes in her attempt at going incognito, she could admit Jae-ha was a decent guy. Although he wasn't exactly the type she’d imagine being friends with Hak, he seemed able at getting what he wanted, eventually.

“So you met in a fight?” She asks, her limbs feeling both heavy and tingly at once. She may have indulged him in taking another shot, and having a drink-- or two.

Jae-ha smiles, nodding, “Yeah. I have to admit, he was one of the best I’d been against, and when I found out it was his first official fight, I had to pester him into becoming partners. He still kicks my ass though.”

Yona hums, already imagining it, “He used to play-wrestle with me, but somehow I’d always win. I’m starting to think unfairly.”

He laughs, and before she forgets, manages to ask, “How’d you know Hak calls me by that silly nickname?”

Jae-ha peaks at her from under a closed eyelid, almost asleep in the booth they’d moved to. “I’ve known him for almost a year now. You’ve come up once or twice.”

Yona feels her ears heat, but not quite out of embarrassment; the feeling is pleasant, like she was entitled to being spoken about, like she enjoyed the thought of Hak thinking about her when she wasn’t around. She realizes she’s laughing, a bit belatedly; maybe she had enough to drink.

He clears his throat, sitting back upright, “Listen, Yona, if you really want to involve yourself in this, you have to make me a promise.”

Yona frowns, unsure of where this was headed.

“You can’t actually participate in any of the fighting. There are no rules out there, and no offense, but you wouldn’t make it. Bad stuff happens.”

Her blood runs cold at the reminder, not for her sake, but for Hak’s. “I wasn’t planning on it.”

“I may not know you, but I know Hak. And I know  _ he _ wouldn't be too happy if you got hurt. Plus, you seem decent enough, it’d be a shame if we didn’t get to know one another.” He replies, a more serious but serene look on his face. 

Yona nods, she’d be careful.

\---

Getting home at such an odd hour has her feeling scandalous, like a rebellious teenager with a curfew. Only this wasn’t the case, because while she was a teenager, she didn't have a curfew, and she certainly wasn't in any rebellious phase. Maybe Hak feels that way, she wonders, skipping her way up the stairs.

She only checks her phone after she’s settled into bed, a text notification popping up.

**Hak:**

10.34 p.m. : Stay out of trouble

10.34 p.m. : Or I'll have to come back and fix things myself

She clutches her phone, staring at the messages. Hak was off visiting his grandfather for a few days, and she’s been expecting the messages, if anything, knowing how he was. And she was  _ not _ feeling guilty about it, either, because she was an adult, dammit. So, she had the right to conspire as much as she damn well pleases. 

With that being said, she’s glad he was gone under much less dangerous circumstances, but it was still hard not having him there. It’s not as though they’d be together this very moment, even if he was in town, but it still felt nice knowing he was around if she needed him. She wonders if he thinks she’s selfish, always needing him to be there for her, like he owed her something (which he didn't), and yet it never stops her from feeling that way.

They’d spent the past week together-- she needed to make sure he was telling the truth about only needing another week to heal-- between everything they needed to do, and people to see, and although she forced him into being serious for once, and actually talking, nothing felt changed. She knew that no matter the amount of begging, or goading or anything-ing she did, he wasn’t going to listen to reason. Maybe the first time in her life that he wouldn't give in to her demands. Go figures it’d be the only one that mattered. Now she had to deal between her anger at his terrible life choices, and the guilt of making her own. 

She falls asleep thinking about it, not realizing she forgets about Hak’s text all together.

\---

The following days seem to pass by with an excruciating slowness. Overly repetitive, and although she was working on fixing her current predicament, she had a hard time focusing on much else. Soo-won seems to agree, things were getting boring, with everything feeling off. Not only that, but Yona was waiting to hear back from Jae-ha; only now, she was truly alone in her plans moving forward. It certainly wasn’t  _ her _ fault people were easily tricked into believing her motivation for doing things. If Soo-won actually believed she wasn't going to do anything more, while on the brink breakthrough, that was on him.

Speaking of, “Yona? Don’t tell me Hak is missing again.”

Snapping back to attention, she grimaces, “Nope. Just lost in my thoughts.”

Seemingly satisfied, he pushes the paper coffee cup towards her, “You should try this flavor. It’s really good, actually. I didn't think pumpkin flavor would make for good coffee.”

Stifling a giggle, she takes the cup to her mouth, sipping delicately. Pumpkin spice; he was so adorable sometimes. 

Soo-won. Safe, capable, reliable, Soo-won. When she thought of her future, she’d always imagined him with her. Not that she still doesn’t, they were meant to be.

“Soo-won, what do you think about getting married?” She asks innocently, staring out the big window, an endless stream of student activity outside.

She turns back when she hears him choking, entirely red in the face.

“Wh-what?”

Lifting her shoulder minutely, she smiles, “Don’t you have an opinion on marriage, like in general? Do you ever want to get married?”

Breathing deeply, he seems to calm down, dabbing at the spilled coffee on his shirt with a napkin. “Oh. Well, sure. I guess I do.”

She turns her head towards the window once more; they were totally meant to be.

It’s later, ignoring her classwork, that she realizes a solution to her problems. The reason she’d been feeling so strange lately (apart from the obvious) was because of the lack of entertainment value there was. School, work, boring commitments, too much of it, really. She knows what she needed, what  _ they _ needed.

…

Slamming on the brakes, she hears the tires squeal, having stopped the car too abruptly-- oops. Driving was  _ hard _ , especially when a good song was playing. 

Strolling up to the front door, she doesn't have to wait long for an answer, one of Hak’s roommates standing on the other side. He wastes little time in greeting her, picking her up and spinning her inside.

Laughing, she clutches back, “Hello, Kija.”

“What have I done to be graced with your presence on this wonderful day?” He asks, placing her down, hands still on her sides.

She giggles, looking around, “I’m here to see--”

“Me.”

Abruptly, the hands on her sides are replaced by new ones, Kija being pushed entirely to the side by none-other than, “Hak.” She finishes.

Kija smiles, overly sweet and entirely false, “And why would you want to see him? He’s really, terrible to have around.” Tilting his head to the side, he ignores Hak’s protests, examining Yona a bit more warmly.

Noticing Hak has yet to let go of her, or move, she awkwardly cranes her head around him, trying to address Kija more properly, “I guess you’re right, but it's been too long for me to abandon him now. I was just going to ask him if he wanted to keep me company for a little.”

Hak turns around, finally moving more than a foot away from her, and sticks his tongue out at the other, “Get your own friends.”

Still ignoring him, Kija strikes a confident pose, “Who cares about him, everyone knows I’m more fun to have around.”

Laughing behind her hand, Yona nods, “You should come with us Kija, if you aren’t busy.”

Grabbing onto his own face, he smiles, radiantly happy, “Really? Ah, but I’m afraid I can’t. I have class later.” Deflating, he gives an apologetic smile.

Giving the most exaggerated “Aw.” she’d ever heard, Hak places his hands on his hips, looking anything but upset. “So sad. Maybe next time.”

“You’re coming?” She asks, despite knowing he didn't have class, and technically already agreed yesterday.

“You know I’m at your disposal Princess.”  _ She wonders if he thinks she’s selfish, always needing him to be there for her. _ Uninvited, the thought plagues her. “But I’m driving.” He declares. Yona protests, losing her train of thought.

“No offense, but I’m shocked you ever managed to get a license.” He snatches the keys from her hands, moving towards the exit.

“Offense taken.” She spits, wondering how anyone was supposed to take that,  _ but  _ offendedly.

Giving one last wave towards (a pouty) Kija, she follows him out.

Settling in the car, Yona almost forgets he has no idea where they were supposed to be headed. Blushing, she gets her phone out, “Just follow the GPS, smartass.”

“I literally said nothing.”

“Your snarky thoughts are so loud, I can hear them from here.”

\---

“Wow. Having me drive to my own demise. How clever.” Hak whistles, looking around at the heavily forested area.

If Yona could roll her eyes loudly, she would be, “You  _ wanted _ to drive. And I didn’t bring you here to kill you. I just thought it’d be nice. Considering.” She practically whispers the last part, her mood plummeting rapidly.

“I’m just teasing. Uh, I’m sure the trees here are… great.” He flounders, gesturing lamely.

She steps out of the car, pointing towards the trees to their right, “We aren’t here for the trees.”

There was a lake out here, and before it got entirely too cold, it’d be nice to go for a swim. Soo-won had class, but he’d be joining them later. She grabs the things from the back of the car, handing some off to Hak, and starts off in the direction she pointed.

It’s only a 5 minute walk, but with all the towels and food, it feels longer. Hak, smugly, teases her for falling behind. “Not all of us have weird super-strength.” She grunts, attempting to trip him, but he dodges it, causing  _ her _ to almost trip.

When they finally arrive at the lake pier, she drops everything at her feet, setting up a spot. Hak pulls out a flimsy fold-up chair. She already knew he was going to choose that, it required no effort; scoffing she sits down, looking out at the water. 

Hak throws his shirt over his head, apparently ready to jump in. He’d really changed a lot over the past few years, she notes. His back muscles have anyway, observing in a totally objective manner, that is. When he continue walking towards the pier edge, she pauses from her side-thought.

“Hak… aren't you going to change. I made you bring clothes for a reason.” She calls out, wondering if he was really going for it.

He turns back, the sun beating down on his form, “As long as you promise not to look.” Winking, he jumps into the water.

  
  
  
  
  
  


An hour passes by, Hak only returning to shore to pester her or ask for food. Yona would get in, but the day was nice, and simply sunbathing had been satisfying enough for her, not realizing she’s dozing off until she feels something ice-cold land on her stomach. Jumping, she removes her arm from over her eyes, peering down at her abdomen, a shadow looming over her.

Moving her gaze upwards, she sees Hak, who appears to enjoy dripping water on her, disturbing her peace, and stealing her sunshine. “I already told you, no more food until lunch.” She mutters, glaring up at him.

Sighing, Hak pushes his still sopping wet hair out of his face, the water droplets catching onto his hands and down his forearm. It consequently causes her gaze to move downward, once again noticing his figure. Suddenly too warm, she rolls away, standing up. Maybe it’d be nice to go for a walk she thinks, staring out at the treeline.

“I don’t want food, I was going to make you get in the water.” He says, meeting her strides, despite her attempt at getting away from him. His voice is full of mischief, and Yona practically starts sprinting when she picks up on it.

“No Hak. Stay away from me! No--”

Why was he so much taller than her? It was a fruitless escape attempt, pathetic even, because it takes him no less than a few seconds to catch her, pick her up, and toss her over his shoulder. “You’ve had enough rest.”

It happens so quickly, Yona is left reeling. His skin is damp, and cool from his time in the water, it actually feels nice on her sun-warmed skin, but she knows the water itself is going to feel like a slap to the face. Finally regaining her composure, she thumps at his lower back, demanding to be released.

“I will do no such thing. Even princesses need exercise.” He replies, and even though she can’t see his face, she is certain of how he must look.

When she sees the ground fade into wooden planks, she begins to actually panic. “Ok Hak! You’ve made your point, let me go.”

Only walking faster, it doesn't take long before he’s in a full sprint-- how he manages to do so with her over his shoulder, she’ll never know-- “Who says I’m trying to make a point.”

It’s the last thing she hears before they’re plummeted into the water, her barely managing to keep a proper breath before they’re submerged. It’s as cold as she’d anticipated, her entire body locking up at it. No wonder his skin felt so cool, it wouldn’t take long before she was left the same.

Kicking her way to the surface, she pushes her now-wet hair out of her eyes, finds Hak’s laughing face, and splashes a good amount into it. He doesn’t expect it, and it’s nice to have the upper hand for once, but it doesn't last, his surprised expression morphing back into mischief. She paddles away from him, trying to regain some distance. Even though she should find it annoying, she can’t help but laugh at his antics.

“Oh it’s going to be like that?” he says, takes a deep breath, and disappears beneath the surface. 

Kicking frantically, Yona looks around her, but it's useless, the water is a dark green, she can’t even see her own thighs from below the murky surface. He’s gone under for such a while, in fact, that she begins to worry, trying to find any sign of movement. Her worry is replaced by a thrill of panic-- excitement? when she feels the briefest touch along her leg. He was messing with her, of course.

She kicks at it, unable to stop the laughter bubbling up from her chest once again. “Cut it out, you’ll drown.” she calls, despite knowing he can’t hear her.

Another brush, this time on her stomach, and she almost manages to catch him. It's only a second later that he properly grabs her by the ankle, dragging her back underwater. Only this time, instead of closing her eyes, she keeps them open under the water, barely making out his form moving beside her.

He begins his assent, grabbing around her middle on the way up, and she watches as he takes them. Practically choking from his stunt, Yona laughs, pushing the hair out of his face. “Are you satisfied yet?” She asks, almost giddy with happiness when he finally opens his eyes to meet hers.

There’s a beat of silence before he says anything, “Not quite.”

It’s quiet, but because they’re pressed together, Yona doesn’t have to strain to hear him. She’s so busy studying his face, she hardly notices any of it, but when she does return to her senses, the first thing she notes is where he’s looking.

His eyes trained on her mouth, and he’s not even trying to hide it. It’s so unexpected that she jolts. Her surprise is only doubled when she realizes how they must look. His arms are quite literally locked around her middle. When her hands fall to his shoulders, unsure of what else to do, the hold tightens, at least she thinks it does, it’s so minuscule she can’t be sure. 

Yona can’t tell if her heart is pumping from the exertion she was just feeling, or from the total-180 in the mood, that mostly, had come out of nowhere. She can feel where his hands grip at her sides, his fingers even colder than the rest of him, which is still very much near. 

They trace along her spine, so delicately it makes her shiver, before drifting slowly, dangerously to shoulder. Finding her pulse-point, he presses down with slightly more force, and she hardly stops a gasp from leaving her mouth at the feeling. He’s almost in a trance, fixating on the curve of her neck, while simultaneously ignoring her being there altogether.

“Hak?” she murmurs, a question in her tone.

It seems to break the spell, and after snapping his gaze up to meet hers, he lets go of her instantly, swimming backwards in great strides.

“Hak?” She asks again, but he ignores her, turning his back and swimming to shore. It leaves her trembling, sudden clarity that she hadn't realized was gone returning to her. When she dips her own head back under the water, it feels colder than before.

  
  
  


She decides on staying out in the water for a while. Things between her and Hak felt… weird, tense, in a way she wasn’t used to. They teased each other relentlessly, to the point of it actually becoming annoying, but they never fought, not really.  _ They weren't fighting _ , she reminds herself, and although it’s true, they aren't… untroubled, either. 

The sun, having barely past its peak, is still hot and high in the sky. She’s faced towards it, dipped in the water, having hoped that Hak would eventually come back and tell her he was just messing with her,  _ “Just a joke! You're so childish, Princess, stop acting so weird.” _ But he never does.

She thinks he does, when she feels a hand on her shoulder, warm and comforting. But when she turns, it’s Soo-won. All long, blonde hair, and blue eyes. She sinks into the water a bit more, sees Hak nearby on the shoreline, apparently getting his own sun-bathing done. Redirecting her gaze back to her boyfriend, she smiles, reaching her arms up to wrap around his shoulders.

He returns the embrace, lifting her from her sulking in the cold water.

“Yona.. you’re freezing.” He gasps, rubbing a hand down her back for a moment. 

Uncomfortably, it sends her a vivid flashback to Hak having done *almost* the same, and her neck begins to burn, and not from the sun. She leans even more into their embrace, closing her eyes; such an inappropriate time for an inappropriate thought, she almost feels guilty.

“Ahh, yeah, I guess I am. I’m glad you could make it.” She murmurs, her face in the crook of his neck.

  
  
  


Although their exchange earlier left the atmosphere a bit awkward, Yona was hoping that Hak would return to his usual self when she did finally return to their set-up. To her dismay, they seem worse. He hardly bothers with a glance when she and Soo-won return to shore, and it doesn't take long for him to mutter something about taking a walk. Soo-won, ever oblivious, doesn't notice the tension, digging around for food.

Yona stands abruptly, her stubborn nature rearing its ugly head. “We’ll come with you.”

She distantly hears Soo-won muttering a “Huh?” while she pulls on his hand, her eyes fiercely locked on Hak’s stiffening form.

“Actually I wanted to go alone. If that’s okay with you.” He grunts, already walking off.

Yona tries pulling at Soo-won even harder, but he gets the upper hand, pulling her into his lap. Startled, she stares up at his skeptical expression. 

“Yona, what has gotten into you? We should hang out for a little while, I just got here.”

Yona huffs, moving to sit beside him, “Yeah. You're right.”

…

When Hak does return, a half an hour later, he seems to have worked through whatever had him so pissy, because he’s back to antagonizing her. Maybe it was unwise of her to forgive him so easily, for acting the way he did, but if she was being honest, she was too relieved to question it.

“Hak-- Stop biting into my sandwich while I’m holding it, what if I go hungry, huh?” She whines, staring down at her diminishing food supply.

Soo-won laughs from beside her, “Don’t worry, I’ll share my food with you.”

Hak nods, pointing towards him, “You have a boyfriend to give you food. I’m the one at risk of starvation, alone and without help.”

Yona snatches her sandwich away, guarding it, “You’re always claiming to be big and bad, right? Go provide for yourself, I’m sure there's plenty to hunt out here.”

Rolling his eyes, Hak leans back, still chewing the piece of stolen food, “So can Soo-won.”

“I can provide for the both of us, babe.” Says Soo-won, around a mouthful of chips.

Yona scrunches her nose, looking away from them, “Maybe you should learn table-side manners, the both of you.”

They settle back into silence, and it doesn't take Yona long to notice the sun’s position in the sky; there was certainly a few hours of daylight left, but the treeline on the other side of the lake was blocking it out, and still being damp, it left her cold once again.

She doesn’t have a chance to complain, before Hak is throwing her an article of clothing, but when she looks up, he’s not even looking at her. Hiding a smile, she shrugs it on. It’s warm, and soft, and she guesses its Hak’s round-about way of saying he’s sorry. 

She sighs contentedly as she melts against Soo-won. Today was nice, even if Hak managed to fit in his regularly scheduled drama; she smiles at him from across their semi-circle, listens to her two best friends talk.

…

_ Hey… about earlier. I’m sorry for acting like an ass. I just can’t help myself when I’m with you, because you drive me crazy. You drive me crazy and I can’t seem to think straight _ .

Hak frowns, shaking his head as if to chase the thought away. Imagine saying that, out-loud; she’d probably think he was pranking her. Realizing he’d outwardly been emoting all of these thoughts, he steals a glance at Yona, who already questions his sanity, but she hasn’t noticed a thing, because she’s asleep. Her hair is sun-dried and probably in a million knots-- (and he knows this because he’s had to brush like that before. After they went on a beach trip, after they’d ran in the rain. Every single dream he’s had, where he gets to brush it with his hands too, because he knows how much she hates it, but he could never)--

She’s asleep and can’t complain about it right now, or notice how lost in his thought he’s gotten. Her cheeks are red, more than a little sun-burned, and he knows his face probably looks the same. His eyes trail down to her neck, long and exposed from where her head is awkwardly propped up against the door, her hands clutching at her seat belt where she’d fallen asleep.

His own hands tighten around the steering wheel, because he’s driving, and  _ he needs to focus on the road _ , and if he starts starts looking at her, he won’t stop.

(and he’s going to remember what it was like to hold her, and how she’d let him, and how he absolutely lost 50 years off his life for doing it, but he knows it was well worth it, even if she was a painting on a wall, and he was nothing but a pretentious art student, he was going to stare and stare and stare and.)

She’s not ever going to start making sense, and  _ he  _ ** _needs_ ** _ to focus on the road _ . So. He can’t see her, but he knows that her shoulders are just as burned as her cheeks, and he knows she likes it when she gets a little burned, because  _ “It looks like blush, Hak. But better.” _

“I’m sorry about earlier.” He’ll say, hoping she understands.

_ I just love you. _

Only she can’t, because she’s sunburned and dreaming, and she can’t hear him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This became really long and I have to add another chapter I think, bc I really ran with this. I have not stop writing, I swear. ALSO i promise the actual fighting stuff is going to be addressed and coming up soon but like I said this became longer than intended!!
> 
> The shot Yona takes is called a Chile Guaro. Just thought I'd include that. 
> 
> Also I apologize for that cheesy ass ending but I just couldn't help myself. :]
> 
> Find me on tumblr!; cyanlana (and thank you everyone for all the support on the first chapter im crying.)

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't read a lot of hak/yona fics, if anyone has any recs please let me know, i'm in need. For research i mean.  
Let me know what you think. thanks for taking the time to read :)
> 
> [twitter](https://twitter.com/cyanlana_)   
[tumblr](https://cyanlana.tumblr.com/)


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